2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grillone
An Italian surname derived from the word "grillo," meaning "cricket" in Italian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Grillone. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grillone surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Grillone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grillone, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grillone
The surname GRILLONE originated in Italy, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "grillo," which means cricket, likely referring to a physical characteristic or occupation associated with the insect.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GRILLONE can be found in the Florentine tax records of 1298, where a certain Giovanni Grillone was listed as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name GRILLONE appeared in several Venetian documents, including the records of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, a prominent confraternity. Among the members listed were Antonio Grillone (born c. 1420) and Marco Grillone (born c. 1450), both of whom were likely merchants or artisans.
A notable bearer of the GRILLONE surname was Girolamo Grillone (c. 1560-1628), a renowned painter from Bologna who specialized in religious subjects. His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy, including the Basilica di San Petronio in Bologna.
In the 17th century, a branch of the GRILLONE family settled in the Kingdom of Naples, where they gained prominence as landowners and minor nobility. One member, Vincenzo Grillone (1625-1697), served as a captain in the Neapolitan army and was awarded a small estate for his military service.
Another notable figure was the poet and playwright Francesco Grillone (1725-1801), who was born in Palermo, Sicily. He is best known for his satirical works that criticized the social and political conditions of his time, including the play "La Baronessa di Carini" (1768).
Over the centuries, the GRILLONE surname has remained relatively uncommon, but it has been carried by individuals in various professions and walks of life throughout Italy and, subsequently, in Italian diaspora communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grillone
Among Census respondents with the surname Grillone, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grillone bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Grillone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grillone
Grillone appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,383 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,383 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,445 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Grillone surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #148,665 | -2.4% |
| Count | 114 | 111 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grillone bearers went from 114 to 111 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #148,665.
FAQ
Grillone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grillone?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Grillone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Grillone?
Grillone ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Grillone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grillone.
Has Grillone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grillone went from 114 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Grillone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grillone, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grillone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grillone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Grillone (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Grillone mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "grillo," meaning "cricket" in Italian. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Grillone (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Grillone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.